Trinity 17_2026

Readings:

• Philippians 2.1-13
• Matthew 21.23-32

Sermon:

Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew Chapter 21 is set right near the end of Jesus’ ministry, the day after he had upset the tables of the money changers and traders in the temple.  Jesus returned to the temple and was at once confronted by the Chief Priests and elders of the temple. Their question was simple: ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’

The question was a trap. If Jesus laid claim to a higher authority than the Chief Priests, he was open to a charge of blasphemy. If he did not, then on what basis was his dramatic action justified? Jesus dealt with this trap by turning the question round and asking the Chief Priests their view of the ministry of John the Baptist. It was not many months since John had been beheaded by King Herod and the shock of his death was still reverberating among the people who had revered him as a prophet. Fear of the reaction of the people if they gave a negative answer meant that the Chief Priests parried the question that Jesus asked them. They said they could not tell if John’s ministry had had a human or divine origin.

Jesus then gave a substantial body of teaching criticising the Chief Priests. It continues for 22 verses beyond the end of our Gospel reading today and leaves no doubt that Jesus blamed them for their failure to listen to the voice of God as communicated by both John and Jesus. ‘Tax collectors and prostitutes are going before you into the Kingdom of Heaven. You can’t say it more strongly than that.

Their original question was, however, a good one. It is central to social and political debate today. What authority is needed to justify certain actions. For example: What authority should doctors have over issues of life and death and can this justify assisted dying?  What authority should the government have to ban demonstrations? What authority should children have over issues relating to their gender? By what authority do we organise our society in the way that we do?

And it is relevant more locally…by what authority do we decide how our churches are run? Indeed, how did Jesus himself model the exercise of authority?

Jesus of course could claim full authority. He was, and is, the eternal Son of God. Yet the Epistle to the Philippians qualifies this. Today’s epistle from chapter 2 quotes what may be an ancient Christian hymn or piece of liturgy. Jesus, the passage tells us, emptied himself and took the form of a slave, humbling himself to the point of death on a cross. The Servant Songs in Isaiah further prophesied that he would have no natural good looks to provide authority. When he spoke therefore with an authority that far exceeded that of the scribes and pharisees it must have been because of the quality of what he had to say and the way he said it. It was an unconventional way to exercise authority. Yet at certain times in his ministry Jesus demonstrated huge authority over, for example, unclean spirits, illnesses, the power of nature and even death.

The hymn about Jesus was quoted to exemplify the phrase: ‘let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.’ So where we have the opportunity, we are called to follow Jesus into the role of servanthood.  If we are leaders we should consider the path of servant leadership.

If we follow this path,

• We will emphasise the pastoral care of those we lead, 
• We will identify spiritual gifts and develop volunteers,
• We will make decisions through collaboration and prayer and
• We will lead by personal example rather than just exhortation and preaching.

This will encourage healthy church cultures and reduced burnout. Nor is this just an issue for parish clergy. It’s an issue worth exploring whether you have a statutory role like churchwarden or a less formal one like running a home group or Bible study group.  

In a curious way I’m therefore grateful to the Chief Priests. They asked a good question even if they modelled it badly. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’

Question for discussion:

Are there situations where you are called on to be a leader or to exercise authority? Are the insights of servant leadership relevant to this role?